Lent is a journey, an encounter and a time of purification. On the third Sunday of Lent, we come upon liberated but grumbling Israelites wandering in the desert. Come to think of it, that might describe you and me! We’ve been baptized, but we still complain. We find ourselves thinking with nostalgia about certain sins and temptations. Our faith wavers; our hope bends; our love wilts. We might even be tempted to blame God for our struggles with sin.

But in the midst of fasting and struggles and doubts, God provides sustenance. He is the rock from which issues the gift of living water. He sits and waits for us to come to the water — that is, to him. The Samaritan woman, who had gone from husband to husband and whose life was a wreck, encountered and tasted this water, of course, when she spoke with a mysterious Jew at Jacob’s well. Her encounter is a turning point, but it does not come easily or without questions. But as she asked questions, she found answers. And prayer is often about asking questions — not in anger, but with honesty, seeking an answer.

Prayer

“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”

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